Lairds of Troon

31/08/2026

THE ENGINEER'S EYE | HOLLYWOOD VAMPIRES
We've talked about Metallica.
We've talked about what happens behind the wall of sound at a huge rock show.
Then we went to see The Hollywood Vampires at the OVO Hydro in Glasgow with The Jesus And Mary Chain as support.
And this was different.
Alice Cooper
Joe Perry.
Johnny Depp.
Tommy Henriksen & Crossbone Skully Fans
Put those four names on a stage and you'd be forgiven for thinking the engineering is the last thing anyone is going to notice.
Unfortunately, that's not how my brain works.
While everyone else is watching the show, I'm inevitably looking at the arrays, listening to the room, wondering what's happening at FOH and trying to work out why certain things sound the way they do, and yes, of course, a wee dram and great banter with friends.
And Hollywood Vampires gave us plenty to think about.
This isn't simply a band playing its own catalogue.
It's a live rock show built around some enormous personalities, very different musical styles and a genuine respect for the musicians who influenced them, including some who are no longer here.
That makes for an interesting night musically.
It also creates a fairly serious engineering problem.
Multiple guitars fighting for space.
A rhythm section that needs to hit you without swallowing everything else.
Alice Cooper's vocal needing to remain absolutely intelligible over all of it.
Then you have the OVO Hydro itself.
Thousands of people.
A huge volume of air.
Reflections.
Low-frequency energy.
And a rock audience that doesn't want something clinically perfect.
It needs to feel dangerous.
It needs to feel live.
It needs to sound like rock and roll.

That's the bit I find fascinating.
Good engineering isn't always about making something perfect.
Sometimes it's about giving something just enough control to let it feel uncontrolled.
And there was one point during this show where that really became apparent.

We'll get into that next.
Because for Part 2 of The Engineer's Eye, we're going behind what we actually heard at Hollywood Vampires, the PA, the mix, the guitars, the vocals and what it takes to make a show like this work inside the Hydro.

If you were there at the Hydro, what was the moment that stood out for you?
And if you've seen Hollywood Vampires somewhere else on this tour, how did they sound in your venue?

Then we're going somewhere considerably bigger.
Las Vegas.
A building containing one of the most extraordinary audio systems ever constructed.
The Sphere.
And, conveniently, we've got some unfinished business with a certain band heading there. 🤘

29/08/2026

New season. Same prime advertising position. 😂🏉

First league game of the new season at Fullarton Park today, with Marr Rugby taking on Stirling County RFC.

As sponsors, we’re always pleased to see the Lairds name getting maximum exposure.

Although we’re beginning to suspect someone at Marr has a sense of humour about exactly where they put it. 👀

We’ll take it.

Great to see club rugby back at Fullarton and good to support a local club that plays such a big part in the Troon community.

Good luck to Marr for the 2026/27 season.

From smart homes and cinemas to networks, security and apparently premium rear-end brand placement…

Lairds gets everywhere. 😂

🏉 Marr Rugby
⚔️ Marr v Stirling County
📍 Fullarton Park, Troon
🤝 Proudly supported by Lairds AV

29/08/2026

Wee stroll with hubby along the beach now tine for food and some refreshments

22/08/2026

21/08/2026

Well deserved

We are delighted to share that the Lyngdorf MP-40 2.1 has received the renowned Golden Ear Award from The Absolute Sound. The recognition highlights something at the heart of the MP-40 2.1: bringing exceptional music performance and immersive entertainment together in one system – without asking listeners to compromise on their stereo experience. The Absolute Sound concludes that the MP-40 2.1 is “an ideal choice” for listeners looking to combine high-quality stereo with multichannel and immersive audio.

Read the full story: https://lyngdorf.steinwaylyngdorf.com/lyngdorf-mp-40-2-1-receives-a-golden-ear-award-from-the-absolute-sound/

19/08/2026

WHO CAN ACCESS YOUR HOME RIGHT NOW?

It's a simple question.

But if you have a modern connected home, the answer might surprise you.
Your CCTV may have remote access.
So might your heating.
Your alarm.
Your door entry.
Your network.
Your lighting.
Your AV system.
Your home automation.

Now think back over the last five or ten years.
How many engineers, installers, manufacturers and support companies have worked on those systems?

When they finished, was their access removed?
Were passwords changed?
Were old accounts disabled?
Could a previous installer still connect today?
Most homeowners simply don't know.

And that's the problem.

We think handing over a modern connected home should include more than showing someone how the app works.

It should include knowing **who has the keys to the digital front door.**

Do you know who can remotely access your home today?

15/08/2026

HACK GLASGOW 2026, AND A QUESTION FOR OUR OWN INDUSTRY

A packed room at Hack Glasgow today.

It’s great to see this level of interest in cyber security, but sitting listening to the talks has reinforced something I’ve been thinking about for some time.
We have a problem much closer to home.

Literally.
For years, the smart-home and AV industry has concentrated on what we can connect.

CCTV.
Door entry.
Lighting.
Heating.
Audio.
Televisions.
Wi-Fi.
Home automation.
Remote access.
Servers.
Cloud services.

Individually, these are useful pieces of technology.
Collectively, they can create a remarkably detailed digital picture of someone’s home and life.

And that’s where I think our industry needs to change.
When we design a high-end home technology system, we’re potentially building infrastructure that knows when the property is occupied, controls who can enter it, carries camera footage, connects personal devices and can be accessed remotely.

For some clients, their home network may also carry devices belonging to people responsible for businesses, investments or organisations far beyond the property itself.
Yet security can still be treated as something sitting somewhere further down the specification.

It shouldn’t be.
I’ve worked across communications, networking, AV and cyber security for a long time, and these worlds are now converging very quickly.

So Lairds is going to start talking about it.
Not scare stories.
Not security theatre.
Not another badge for the website.
Practical conversations about how connected homes should actually be designed, installed, documented and protected.

Especially where privacy and discretion really matter.
The smart home has evolved.
The way we protect it now needs to evolve with it.
This is the beginning of that conversation.

14/08/2026

You’ll probably never see this again.

And that’s exactly the point.

Before the ceilings are closed, this is where a huge part of a properly designed cabling infrastructure to support Audio systems including speakers, AV distribution, robust network, WIFI that doesn’t leave you hanging, lighting Control, security, CCTV and future expansion comes in.

Right now it looks like a lot of cable. But every cable has a destination, reason and purpose
And every decision made at this stage can either make the finished system better or become very expensive to change later, we are please to say that our forward-thinking client has left nothing to chance here.

Good technology starts long before the TVs, speakers and keypads go on the wall It starts in the structure.

Build it properly while you can still see it, or it becomes very expensive very quickly.

07/08/2026

What pushes our Jack on to get the job done and keep going? Our Taylor of course, the teamwork, banter and professionalism is what you can expect when the guys are around.